Friday 20 February 2015

Poppyland


The passing of actor Alan Howard brings to mind a rare film that most obituarists will struggle to recall. I never saw Howard on the stage, (I never see people on the stage much), where I believe him to have been magnificent, but John Madden's film for the BBC is something else. Filmed in the summer of 1984 Poppyland was transmitted only once to my knowledge, in January 1985. Howard played Clement Scott, the poet and Daily Telegraph drama critic who visited the Norfolk coast around Cromer in 1883. His subsequent pieces for the papers brought the crowds thronging to Cromer, the countryside being dubbed 'Poppyland' by the Great Eastern Railway Company. 

At 90 minutes long, this is a proper film, one that transcends the medium it was made for. Apart from Howard, the narrative is helped along by Scott's friends turning up at the mill house that is the centrepiece of the film, played with much Victorian vigour by John Shrapnel, Jonathan Hyde, John McEnery and the delightful Phoebe Nicholls as the miller's daughter Louie Jermy. Films made by the BBC around this time tend to get forgotten (or worse) unless the archives are trawled through by the British Film Institute who have done a marvellous job in resurrecting the early work of Ken Russell and the Christmas M.R.James stories for DVD. I did in fact record Poppyland on a VHS tape, which although still in my possession is missing the opening couple of minutes. I sincerely hope the BFI will find something more substantial so that we can all enjoy the film again.

26 comments:

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Not one I know. Thanks for the tip. 77 seems a bit young - relatively speaking...

Anonymous said...

I find myself in a terrible quandary Dear Boy!.
What should I wear in my button hole today?
A Poppy or a Daffodil?

Peter Ashley said...

Oh dear Anon, what a pickle. You'd probably be safer with a daffodil, provided you don't confuse it with a spring onion in the supermarket. By the way you left your scarf in the pub.

Philip Wilkinson said...

Howard's Coriolanus was outstanding: I wish I'd seen more of him on stage. The obituarist in The Independent managed to remember, and to praise, Poppyland. It sounds essential and I hope someone picks up the hint and puts it onDVD.

roamingpursuits said...

Lovely field of poppies.

Peter Ashley said...

Thank you roaming. It's not actually Norfolk of course, just a handy shot I'd taken near Bringhurst in Northamptonshire.

Vimax Canada said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Selaput Dara Buatan said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Bio Slim Herbal said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
pembesar penis said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
pembesar penis said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
pembesar penis said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Vimax Canada said...

nice post article, thanks for sharing

OBAT KLG said...

oke

Obat Herbal Penyakit Leukemia Yang Aman said...

Thank you for sharing articles were very nice and useful like this ..
we liked it very much, I hope you can post or renew it again.
good luck,,

Obat Herbal Darah Tinggi Yang Ampuh said...

thank you for the information you present here,
Keep posting and I really like it.. it is very good

Obat Herbal Infeksi Saluran Kencing Paling Manjur said...

I think this is a very good article, you have a lot of inspiration untum write an article or information here in.
Thank you very much admin has shared with us,

Obat Herbal Infeksi Saluran Kemih Ace Maxs said...

Very nice article guys,
simple, attractive and easy to understand it. You really do have a great reverensi and knowledge to make articles like this
good work and continue to share. Thank you for sharing with us

Pengobatan Alami Infeksi Tulang Paling Ampuh said...

article that you created and you have, very nice, charming and perfect to be listened to and used as a reference of quality.
thank you for sharing a remarkable job, hopefully more successful and we wait for the next post

Waspadai 5 Komplikasi Diabetes Melitus said...

articles you post a very nice, attractive design, the content of the article is simple, good and quality.
Thank you for sharing and allow us a moment to stop by on your site. continued success

Penyebab Ambeien Dan Cara Mengatasinya Tanpa Operasi said...

I found something in this article., a very nice design, the contents of the article were quite good and quality..
it is very suitable as a good reference.
Thank you very much for sharing with us

7 Makanan Yang Harus Di Hindari Oleh Penderita Stroke said...

I was very interested and like what is in this article, the content of the article is quite good and quality..
steady buildup gan. Thank you for sharing, gan

Anonymous said...

Well done for helping to keep the flame flying for Poppyland. At the time of its screening I thought it was a wonderful film and I'd love to see it released on DVD. Art of this calibre ought not to languish in the vaults.

Unknown said...

In case anyone is still interested, I've posted up my complete VHS copy of Poppyland to You tube - https://youtu.be/8dnovKuZyb0

Anonymous said...

intext:"pembesar penis" "good article" "nice article"
"judi bola yang aman dan terpercaya

Unknown said...

artikel yang anda buat sangatlah bagus dan saya sangat senang membaca artikel anda terimakasih
poker online